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Junkers
Junkers are an itinerant population of unknown origin who comb debris fields looking for scrap and equipment that can either be repurposed or sold for cash. History Where there’s junk, there are the Junkers. They’ve been around since the earliest days of the Trade Lanes. Descended from the working classes, they developed within the House systems as a sort of necessary evil, handling the dirty work that no one else would. They do well salvaging valuable materials from the ever-increasing debris fields throughout Sirius, with the notable exception of Kusari. To this day they remain held at bay by the Hogosha. Anyone who deals with Junkers knows they live by a strict code; if you're not a Junker, you're not part of the family. A Junker will double-cross you without a second thought, and they're fiercely protective of each other. Most House corporations consider then Junkers to be simple criminals, but Junkers will occasionally do favors for the police, turning in the odd, mid-level criminal or letting them know about the occasional drug shipment. So despite some harassment, the police stop short of shutting them down. The infrequent police cleanup operations are little more than exercises in public relations, though there's no love lost between the two groups. The Junkers make their official money from salvaging debris within the fields, but also have a good deal going with various criminals, who like their "no questions asked" policy. Tolerated by the governments, Junkers sometimes deal in contraband, but they are extremely hard to catch red-handed. They are frequently patronized by the criminal element for the refuge they offer within the often hostile territory of House capitol systems. Liberty has two groups: a major population in the New York system, and a smaller enclave in Texas. The Junker base of operations in New London is located near the shipyards within the Southampton Debris Field. In New Berlin they scavenge the remaining pockets of industrial waste and scrap within the asteroid fields. Their latest foray is a departure -- a base in the Border Worlds. Attracted by the ALG operation in Sigma-13, they have set up shop near the facility and do most of the dirty work, picking off the best loot from the old ships for themselves. It also serves as a convenient launching point for Cardamine and Artifact runs into New Berlin. Long-distance smuggling is new for the faction, which is still perfecting this skill. The Outcasts are also helping with this. Bases Under Control *Rochester Base - New York System (Headquarters) *Beaumont Base - Texas System *Trafalgar Base - New London System *Kreuzberg Depot - New Berlin System *Yanagi Depot - Sigma 13 Details Junkers are an odd bunch, flying the normally unavailable CSV (Combat Service Vehicle), using their Barrager Photon guns and Graviton shields. They are decidedly less dangerous than most factions in a fight and are far more useful as allies than enemies. Official Faction Standings Doing jobs for the Junkers will seriously upset the Hogosha and the Xenos, and will be strongly frowned upon by most House corporations, as well as the Bounty Hunters. The only folks who will be impressed will be the Junkers themselves. Strangely, House Police and Militaries don't care if you work for the Junkers. Independent Corporations that don't care include ALG, the GMG, and the IMG. *Allies **none *Enemies **Hogosha **Xenos **House Corporations Rep Grinding Info It's notable that Junkers are friendly with many criminal factions in Sirius. Therefore, if you're spending a lot of time shooting down criminals, especially Corsairs, Outcasts, and Liberty Rogues, you may find the Junkers attacking you. The Junkers themselves aren't much of a threat, but they have some pretty tough friends! Friends *Corsairs (+0.15) *Liberty Rogues (+0.15) *Outcasts (+0.15) *Mollys (+0.10) *Red Hessians (+0.10) *Golden Chrysanthemums (+0.05) *Lane Hackers (+0.05) *LWB (+0.05) *Unioners (+0.05) Enemies *Hogosha (-0.20) *Xenos (-0.10) *Liberty Police Incorporated (-0.10) *Bounty Hunters Guild (-0.05) *Blood Dragons (-0.05) *Bretonia Armed Forces (-0.05) *Bretonia Police (-0.05) *Farmers Alliance (-0.05) *Liberty Navy (-0.05) *Liberty Security Force (-0.05) *Rheinland Police (-0.05) News NEUTRAL GROUND FOR EVERYONE: ROCHESTER -- It doesn't matter what group of criminals you belong to, unless you are a Xeno. You are always welcome at a Junker base because you are a potential customer for black market items. From Molly Gold to Corsair Artifacts, the Junkers are willing to buy, sell or trade it all. They also deal in basic Commodities and therefore supply many outlaws. Junker bases also serve as neutral areas for criminals to meet without conflict. CONFUSION OVER JUNKERS RETURN POLICY: TRAFALGAR -- It is a hard and fast rule of the Junkers: there are no refunds on anything purchased from our supplies. One of the disadvantages of dealing in black market items is the fact that once you buy something you cannot return it. This rule was a point of contention between Trafalgar Junkers and Mollys. The Mollys, angered over some improperly functioning ship engines they had puchsed, demanded full refunds. It looked like things might get out of hand before Molly Captain Jacob Crowe overheard the commotion and put a stop to it, siding with reason and ordering his men to accept the deal. NO JUNKERS IN KUSARI: ROCHESTER -- Ever wondered why there are no Junkers in Kusari? The answer is simple: the Hogosha. The Junkers want to expand into every corner of Sirius space, hoping to exploit the underworld trade in each House. But, true to their isolate nature, the Kusari crime syndicate has kept the foreigners out of Kusari systems. Open conflict has not erupted between the two opposing factions because it is not the Junkers' way to wage open war. For now the enterprising scavengers will bide their time until an opportunity in Kusari presents itself. A CORSAIR AND OUTCAST ROMANCE?: TRAFALGAR -- Junkers were surprised last Wednesday to see a female Corsair and a male Outcast having what looked to be an intimate conversation in the Trafalgar lounge area. It is well known that when Corsairs and Outcasts meet in space, a fierce battle usually ensues, but that might not be the case when they aren't aboard their ships. "I thought they were going to fight when I first noticed them, that is until I heard the woman laughing. I've never heard a Corsair laugh before," said Roger Watkins, Trafalgar bartender. Rumors "We like to get along with everybody around here; the more the merrier I always say. Of course, that only counts if "the more" means more people with money. The more criminals that need us means we have our hands in all that many more pockets, and that's really what we want." - Cole Dogson, Rochester Base "If the heat from Liberty Police ever gets too bad, we just serve up some petty criminal or deadbeat hauling some illegal cargo. LPI doesn't really care as long as it looks like they are cracking down on criminals; an arrest here and there with some confiscated contraband usually gets them off our backs for a while." - Ian Watson, Rochester Base Rumors About Junkers "The Junkers are a slimy set. They like to come and steal from our storage depots when no one is looking. We had to arm them, we did. To think that the Junkers used to be proper Yardies -- what a shame." - Southampton Bartender Alexander Hunt "The Junkers are criminal dirtbags, but they're smart about it, unlike the Rogues. They have a legitimate cover as scrap collectors, but we know they're as crooked as any other criminal. And they never give up one of their own. You squeeze a Junker to make him talk about other criminals." - Manhattan LPI Category:Factions Category:Criminal Factions Category:Criminals